Welcome to SourceLink Nebraska!

Downtown business Scene
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBDC

SourceLink Nebraska is a statewide platform where anyone can search for nonprofit, education, and government resources to start or grow a business in Nebraska. In other words, SourceLink Nebraska is a one-stop shop for Nebraska entrepreneurs, existing business owners, and resource partners.

In 2018, the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC), Nebraska Extension, and Rural Prosperity Nebraska (RPN) collaborated to bring SourceLink® framework to Nebraska.

SourceLink Nebraska establishes the core infrastructure for Nebraska’s economic development ecosystem, consequently elevating transparency and increasing accessibility of resources. Likewise, SourceLink Nebraska supports economic development in Nebraska by enhancing the coordination of services statewide. This infrastructure helps to reveal and correct regional deficits in resource availability while promoting collaboration between resource partners.

SourceLink Nebraska supports Nebraska business development and entrepreneurship by:

  • collaborating with business-driven economic development efforts.
  • delivering interconnectivity with an array of resource partners.
  • virtual one-to-one support system directly to entrepreneurs and business owners.
  • identifying gaps in the ecosystem, which will be very beneficial for pinpointing services for underserved communities.

SourceLink Nebraska assists economic development by:

  • increasing efficiency and allowing for broader statewide strategies for entrepreneurial growth and economic impact.
  • ensuring that resources are transparent and available to all local economic and community developers, entrepreneurs, and business owners across Nebraska by allowing for access to information at any time regardless of their distance from a resource.
  • incorporating a means of tracking effectiveness and mapping the Nebraska ecosystem to evaluate opportunities for strategic program development.
  • enabling tracking inquiries and resource performance, which assists with identifying pockets of inactivity or other issues.

The SourceLink Nebraska website is available 24/7/365 for entrepreneurs and business owners to search for resource information. For more intensive assistance, our Network Navigator can provide guidance during business hours.   

When visiting the SourceLink Nebraska website, you will find The Resource Navigator® (a searchable database of resource partners), a calendar of events, and stories about business owners and entrepreneurs. Moreover, SourceLink Nebraska provides business startup guides and Enlighten, an on-demand virtual library of training videos for entrepreneurs and businesses.

SourceLink Nebraska is supported by the generosity of Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the University of Nebraska, the University Technology Development Corporation (UTDC), the Institute of Agricultural and Natural Resources (IANR), Nebraska Extension, and the Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC).

In September 2022, the Department of Commerce’s U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded SourceLink Nebraska with the FY 2021 American Rescue Plan Act Economic Adjustment Assistance Grant (EDA-2021-ARPAEAA). This award supports the SourceLink Nebraska Resource Partner Infrastructure Project (SLN-RPIP); a statewide initiative to further enhance accessibility, transparency, and connections to Nebraska’s ecosystem partner services. The SLN-RPIP reduces barriers for entrepreneurs and business owners in need of support, thus creating a more business-friendly, diverse, and economically resilient ecosystem throughout Nebraska.

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